The election of two Roskill Community Voice Members on to the Puketapapa Local Board has brought the fate of Monte Cecilia School to the top of the local political agenda, says Roskill Community Voice member of the Puketapapa Local Board Michael Wood.Monte Cecilia School first on the Agenda

The election of two Roskill Community Voice Members on to the Puketapapa Local Board has brought the fate of Monte Cecilia School to the top of the local political agenda, says Roskill Community Voice member of the Puketapapa Local Board Michael Wood.

We campaigned hard on this issue and now we have made it our first order of business. We have called for an extraordinary meeting of the Board on Tuesday 9 November, at which a motion will be put urging the Council to review the current proposal to uproot Monte Cecilia School, and to consider other more cost effective options to re-locate the school within the park, says Wood.

The local community remains furious about the way they have been treated, with consultation throughout the process being farcical. More broadly, Aucklanders are concerned about the massive unfunded cost of this pet project. Cost estimates of between $50 – $100 million mean that ratepayers from around the region will be stung, and there will also be less money available for other open space projects across Auckland

It is our hope that a new Council and a new Board can look at the whole project with fresh eyes, and arrive at a win-win solution that meets the needs of all parties, and saves Auckland ratepayers tens of millions of dollars. We are discussing the issue with elected members across party lines and believe that a reasonable compromise can be agreed upon, continues Wood.

Our motion at the first business meeting of the Puketapapa Board is a moderate one that simply seeks to open the books on the current proposal and to look at the options. We strongly hope that the Board supports this reasonable approach and that it can be the start of a process that heals the rifts created by the Monte Cecilia project, concludes Wood.